The present invention relates generally to a method and device for reducing stuttering and more particularly to an anti-stuttering device and method for transmitting voice related signals to the speaker's ear to provide speech therapy.
Children and adults who stutter have substantial difficulty in overcoming the handicap because of limitations in detecting relevant characteristics of their own speech. Normally in conventional methods for providing speech therapy for stutterers, the therapist must try to explain to the subject the various detailed characteristics of correct and incorrect movements which produce speech sounds. However, in reconstruction of speech behavior it is often difficult to cause the subject to attend to the details of his speech movements in a correct and efficient manner. Also, therapy sessions are frequent, can continue for months, and involve extensive efforts on the part of the therapist to be constantly attentive to the subject.
While the reasons for stuttering are not clearly known, it has been demonstrated that the handicap may be reduced or eliminated by the method of systematic reconstruction of the stutterer's speech behavior. However, because of the subject's difficulties in attending to the detailed characteristics of his speech, it remains difficult for the therapist to provide rapid and effective feedback to the subject concerning his responses.
To overcome these difficulties, methods and devices for providing speech therapy for stutterers such as disclosed in the Webster U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,567 dated May 3, 1977, have been developed which provide the subject with immediate feedback about the adequacy of his responses without constant attention on the part of the therapist. However, these methods and devices generally require a form of active monitoring by the therapist in a clinical environment, as well as the undivided attention of the subject.
Attempts to provide speech therapy methods and devices for use by stutterers in the absence of a therapist and outside the laboratory include those such as disclosed in the Klein U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,179 dated Oct. 24, 1967 which detect voice induced vibrations and provide a masking noise to prevent the speaker from hearing his own voice. However, the speaker's ability to hear other sounds while speaking is impaired by the masking noise, and the noise itself is a potential source of distraction and audible irritation to the speaker.
Other types of devices for use outside the laboratory include those such as disclosed in the Parlenvi, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,488 dated Dec. 20, 1983. Such devices amplify and transmit the speaker's voice and other detected sounds to miniature earphones inserted in the speaker's ear canals, with the signals being delayed to one ear in relation to the signal to the other ear to mitigate stammering. However, a major disadvantage of these systems, and likewise of systems such as disclosed in the aforementioned Klein patent, are the delays which result from the sensing of audio signals, i.e., the sounds of the subject's speech, rather than the earlier generated sounds of the subject's vocal pulses.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to obviate the difficiencies of the known prior art and provide a novel anti-stuttering device and method for providing speech therapy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-stuttering device and method in which the sounds of the vocal pulses are detected to provide rapid transmission of auditory feedback to the ear canal of the speaker.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an anti-stuttering device and method for providing speech therapy which do not require the presence of a therapist.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel method for providing speech therapy which utilizes the speaker's own vocal pulses to enhance fluency in speech.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel method for providing speech therapy in which voice related signals are transmitted to a receiver in a sealed ear canal of the speaker.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-stuttering device which in operation allows the speaker to hear his own voice with minimal noise distraction.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-stuttering device which rapidly transmits to the speaker's ear his voice related sounds in advance of either air, tissue or bone conducted sounds.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-stuttering device which may be readily installed with resulting ease and convenience in use.
These and other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which read in conjunction with the appended drawings.